paradoxum:: truth in tension

The blood of Christ is so precious that it is fully sufficient to pay the debt you’ve contracted, and perfectly to vindicate the Divine majesty from all the dishonor cast upon it, by these many great sins of yours that have been mentioned. It was as great, and indeed a much greater thing for Christ to die than it would have been for you and all mankind to have burnt in hell through all eternity. Of such dignity and excellence is Christ in the eyes of God, that seeing He has suffered so much for poor sinners, God is willing to be at peace with them, however vile and unworthy they have been, and on how many accounts so ever the punishment would be just.

So that you need not be at all discouraged from seeking mercy, for there is enough in Christ. Indeed it would not become the glory of God’s majesty to show mercy to you, so sinful and vile a creature, for anything that you have done, for such worthless and despicable things as your prayers, and other religious performances. It would be very dishonorable and unworthy of God to do so, and it is vain to expect it. He will show mercy only on Christ’s account. And that according to his sovereign pleasure, on whom He pleases, when He pleases, and in what manner He pleases. You cannot bring Him under obligation by your works. Do what you will; He will not look on Himself obliged. But if it be His pleasure, He can honorably show mercy through Christ, to any sinner of you all; not one in this congregation excepted.”

I would conclude this discourse by putting the godly in mind of the freeness and wonderfulness of the grace of God toward them. For such were the same of you. The case was just so with you as you’ve heard, you had such a wicked heart; you lived such a wicked life. And it would have been most just with God forever to cast you off. But he’s had mercy upon you. He hath made His glorious grace appear in your everlasting salvation. You had no love to God, but yet He has exercised unspeakable love to you. You have condemned God and set light by Him, but so great of value has God’s grace set on you and your happiness, that you have been redeemed at the price of the blood of His Son.

You chose to be with Satan in his service, but yet God hath made you a joint heir with Christ of His glory. You were ungrateful for past mercies, yet God not only continued those mercies, but bestowed unspeakably greater mercies upon you. You refused to hear when God called, yet God heard when you called. You abused the infiniteness of God’s mercy to encourage yourself and sin against Him, yet God has manifested the infiniteness of that mercy in the exercise of it toward you. You’ve rejected Christ and set Him at naught, and yet He has become your Savior. You have neglected your own salvation, but God has not neglected it. You have destroyed yourself, but yet in God has been your hope, your help. God has magnified His free grace toward you, and not to others, because He has chosen you and it has please Him to set His love upon you.”